Anyone else think this guy was biggest waste of talent in the heavyweight division in the last few decades?

To be truthful, I think about this guy alot (and I mean that in a manly way ;) ), and when I compare him to other heavyweights from any era, he comes up with more pros (as opposed to cons) than any other fighter I can think of, even most of the all time greats. The only area where he was lacking was dedication to the sport.....training and conditioning. He's a huge guy with an iron chin, amazing speed, excellant accuracy, plenty of natural talent, devastating power, was great at making holes for that massive straight left, and to top it all of, he's a southpaw......

Again, I feel like the only thing he just didn't have was the drive to push himself to peak physical condition to compete at the highest levels of the sport.

Anyway, this came up on another thread, and I wanted some second opinions.

Having great petential is one thing, using it is the other. Yeah, he had potential but there is so much more that goes into the equation of being a great fighter. Being able to motivate your self for training and such would be the first thing that is needed. Stepping into the ring unprepared is the worst thing that a fighter can do to himself...........Rockin' :boxing:

Having great petential is one thing, using it is the other. Yeah, he had potential but there is so much more that goes into the equation of being a great fighter. Being able to motivate your self for training and such would be the first thing that is needed. Stepping into the ring unprepared is the worst thing that a fighter can do to himself...........Rockin' :boxing:
Yep, there's no doubt that he never took advantage of what he was gifted with. I just think the guy had potential out of this world, and wasted it completely. His only real "accomplishment" was beating the self confidence out of a young Vlad Klitchko.

Anyway, I often think about what he might've done had he been as motivated in the gym as he is on the golf course.

Corrie had potential to be a very good fighter...but not more so than a Bowe or Golota. Bowe especially could have been special had he kept up with his Holy I form...

Having great petential is one thing, using it is the other. Yeah, he had potential but there is so much more that goes into the equation of being a great fighter. Being able to motivate your self for training and such would be the first thing that is needed. Stepping into the ring unprepared is the worst thing that a fighter can do to himself...........Rockin' :boxing:


Well said!

It always amazed me how much potential some guys are born with, but it amazes me even more with how much alot of those guys waste it

Having the most potential is about the same as being the best at doing road work.

If the other elements aren't there, it doesn't say a whole lot.

I have a copy on VHS of Sanders fighting Tubbs, Rahman, Purity, and of course both Klitschkos.

He had some potential, but the most ever? That's a stretch.

He did NOT have an iron chin. He was down in the Rahman fight, and against Arthur Weathers, and of course was blown out in 2 rounds by (a 6'3 262lb on that night) Nate Tubbs.
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A guy from South Africa just starting working at our office a few months ago. Soon discovered he was a huge Sanders fan. He had two things to summarize Corrie ....

1. Corrie said many times that he always has people telling him he was over-weight. That is, everyone but his trainer. Corrie always felt ****ty if he tried to slim-down and got tired quick and didn't bring as much power. He said his "optimal" weight (not-fat-not-skinny) for feeling good, was a weight that made he appear out of shape, when in fact he felt at his best.

2. Corrie is a boxer and golfer, we know. But he's also a business man, real estate guy and seed-money guy. Combine this and he's simply an over achiever as a whole, but not an over acheiver at anything in particular.

wladimir klitchko and and riddick bowe are the 2 that come to mind as the greatest potential........wlad was suppose to be the better of the brothers and bowe was suppose to be a heavyweight great but he lacked the motivation

I don't think he was that good. Rahman kicked his ass! Knocked him down several times too. The one time Sanders knocked down Rock wasn't even a knockdown! Rock was knocked into the ropes and had his back to Sanders and the ref called it a knockdown, which it shouldn't have been. Every time they traded punches Sanders got knocked on his ass. He got lucky against Wlad because he has a good punch and it is from a southpaw, and Wlad didn't take him seriously which I could see after watching the Rahman fight. Otherwise he was pretty average in his prime.

he could sure as hell use that left hand and most likely damage anyone, did VK break his hand hitting sander head when they fought?

I don't think he was that good. Rahman kicked his ass! Knocked him down several times too. The one time Sanders knocked down Rock wasn't even a knockdown! Rock was knocked into the ropes and had his back to Sanders and the ref called it a knockdown, which it shouldn't have been. Every time they traded punches Sanders got knocked on his ass. He got lucky against Wlad because he has a good punch and it is from a southpaw, and Wlad didn't take him seriously which I could see after watching the Rahman fight. Otherwise he was pretty average in his prime.



we got ourselves a ahter or a rahman nut hugger here

he had the potential to be real great, but wasted it.

and yes he has a great heart and chin, remeber the savage beating he took from vk.

im not sure if vk broke his hands on his head but i know his hands was so hurt after the fight that he couldnt get his socks on by himself. :D

don't laugh guys, but tyrell biggs had potential, olympic champion, looked like ali for one round against tyson.............turned out, he cried in the ring!

I feel Tyson had the most wasted potential...he could have been greater

i don't think tyson wasted potential, because he did have a period (86-90) where has was untouchable and at his best.

i don't think tyson wasted potential, because he did have a period (86-90) where has was untouchable and at his best.
Very true, Tyson was the best heavyweight in the world at one time. There are several factors that will stain his legacy down the years:

1. He never fought Holyfield in 1991. This would have told us about Tyson as Evander was also in his prime ( Tyson had slipped a bit but both fighters were better than they were in 1996!).

2. Tyson was never able to avenage a defeat in rematch. Yes, he only rematched Holyfield but was never that keen on a rematch with Douglas ( when Douglas returned to boxing ) Williams ( Danny offered him one ) and Lewis ( all Tyson had to do was remain active after his win over Cliff Ettentene ).

3. The ear biting. Allot of people don`t mention it but i think in time Tyson will suffer in the history books for what he did in the Holyfield rematch.

This is maybe why he wasted his potential!

i think he just got exposed. Back in 89/89 they were arguing that he was in the top 3 heavyweights of all time! Lets not forget the ****ty era he fought in. Maybe he fullfilled his potential. Afterall on paper, the greatest fighters he ever fought were lewis and holyfield (aside form an old holmes) and he was a 2 round fighter by then.

I believe Sanders never fulfilled his potential. I agree with Bozo and Rockin' if all the elements aren't there, that's just a little better than having none of them, and when a fighter doesn't properly prepare, and shows up not ready to fight, that doesn't say very much for his dedication to the sport or his career. That being said, I would still say that he was/is wasted talent/potential.

i think he just got exposed. Back in 89/89 they were arguing that he was in the top 3 heavyweights of all time! Lets not forget the ****ty era he fought in. Maybe he fullfilled his potential. Afterall on paper, the greatest fighters he ever fought were lewis and holyfield (aside form an old holmes) and he was a 2 round fighter by then.
Yes, the quality of opponents Tyson fought in his prime were lacking. Apart from a lightheavyweight Micheal Spinks and a old and fat Larry Holmes Tyson beat an aray of ****ty heavyweights like Berbick and Tubbs. Only when Tyson fought Holyfield and Lewis, decent fighters, was he beaten. This isn`t a great heavyweight in my eyes, its a fortunate one!

Oh yeah, just wanted to point out that in my opinion, probably the only reason Sanders never went down with all the shots he took, is because almost none of them landed on his chin. If you watch the fight, he has his chin tucked pretty much the whole time, and almost all of VK's shots landed on his nose or forehead. Just my 2 cents.

still think that he was so dangerous in the early rounds that he would have been a problem for any heavyweight in any era(the tyson of 88 that is)

i think he just got exposed. Back in 89/89 they were arguing that he was in the top 3 heavyweights of all time! Lets not forget the ****ty era he fought in. Maybe he fullfilled his potential. Afterall on paper, the greatest fighters he ever fought were lewis and holyfield (aside form an old holmes) and he was a 2 round fighter by then.

Frank Bruno was a pretty damn good fighter (former wbc champion) 38 KO's in 40 wins Tyson KO'd him twice
so was Donovan Razor Ruddock
Bruce Seldon (Former WBA champion)

First man ever to knock down Michael Spinx, (let alone KO him)
Michal Spinx former Lt heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion

Alex Stewart
Henry Tillman
Toney Tubbs
Tyrell Briggs
Toney Tucker (Former IBF Champion)
Pinklon Thomas (former WBC champion)
All extremely solid fighers
Trever Berbick (former WBC champion)
James Bonecrusher smith (former WBA champion)
Larry Holmes (former undisputed champion)

pretty solid list of heavyweights

Frank Bruno was a pretty damn good fighter (former wbc champion) 38 KO's in 40 wins Tyson KO'd him twice
so was Donovan Razor Ruddock
Bruce Seldon (Former WBA champion)

First man ever to knock down Michael Spinx, (let alone KO him)
Michal Spinx former Lt heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion

Alex Stewart
Henry Tillman
Toney Tubbs
Tyrell Briggs
Toney Tucker (Former IBF Champion)
Pinklon Thomas (former WBC champion)
All extremely solid fighers
Trever Berbick (former WBC champion)
James Bonecrusher smith (former WBA champion)
Larry Holmes (former undisputed champion)

pretty solid list of heavyweights

I agree, he fought who was there, and won for a long time. He may not have fought in the golden age of Heavyweights, but his opponents ween't all bums either.

I've only seen a few of his fights(tua+byrd).but what
about IKE IBEABUCHI.

Frank Bruno was a pretty damn good fighter (former wbc champion) 38 KO's in 40 wins Tyson KO'd him twice
so was Donovan Razor Ruddock
Bruce Seldon (Former WBA champion)

First man ever to knock down Michael Spinx, (let alone KO him)
Michal Spinx former Lt heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion

Alex Stewart
Henry Tillman
Toney Tubbs
Tyrell Briggs
Toney Tucker (Former IBF Champion)
Pinklon Thomas (former WBC champion)
All extremely solid fighers
Trever Berbick (former WBC champion)
James Bonecrusher smith (former WBA champion)
Larry Holmes (former undisputed champion)

pretty solid list of heavyweights

Sorry but no, i aint agreeing with that. There were champions, but were all equally bad. A few of them had drug problems. If they were so good then how come we never heard of any of them again. Don't be so naive, just because he had a good record it does not mean he was a good fighter, by your logic peter mcneely was a good fighter before he fought tyson!

And knocking out a light heavy don't mean ****.

Also, he put spinks down with a body shot the first time...... When do you ever see a heavweight go down from a bodyshot?? He had no resistance to a truly big hitter and he **** his pants before the fight!

Sorry but no, i aint agreeing with that. There were champions, but were all equally bad. A few of them had drug problems. If they were so good then how come we never heard of any of them again. Don't be so naive, just because he had a good record it does not mean he was a good fighter, by your logic peter mcneely was a good fighter before he fought tyson!

And knocking out a light heavy don't mean ****.


AFter Tyson beat Bruno the first time and went to prison, while Tyson was in prison Bruno gained the WBC title. So I guess Bruno was heard from Again, and Holmes, he went on to fight contenders for 15 more years.

Also, he put spinks down with a body shot the first time...... When do you ever see a heavweight go down from a bodyshot?? He had no resistance to a truly big hitter and he **** his pants before the fight!

I see quite alot of fighters go down on body shots, have you seen the De La Hoya vs Hopkins fight, or Gatti vs Dorin.
half of Foreman's knockouts were on body shots.

i said HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTERS!!!!! tell me a good fighter that foreman knocked out with a body shot????

Bruno beat oliver Mcall for the heavyweight title.......lets put that into context!!! Have you seen that fight....cause i have (i bet you haven't) go and watch it and tell me why you think Bruno is a good fighter!!!! He was a bum.

And Larry Holmes fought for another 15 years, true but was well past his prime even when he fought tyson and its not like he won any significant fights aftet that (apart from ray mercer)!!!

I see quite alot of fighters go down on body shots, have you seen the De La Hoya vs Hopkins fight, or Gatti vs Dorin.
half of Foreman's knockouts were on body shots.

half of foremans knockouts were on body shots!!!!!!! What a rediculous statement......how many of his fights have you actually seen pal?

i said HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTERS!!!!! tell me a good fighter that foreman knocked out with a body shot????

Bruno beat oliver Mcall for the heavyweight title.......lets put that into context!!! Have you seen that fight....cause i have (i bet you haven't) go and watch it and tell me why you think Bruno is a good fighter!!!! He was a bum.

And Larry Holmes fought for another 15 years, true but was well past his prime even when he fought tyson and its not like he won any significant fights aftet that (apart from ray mercer)!!!

Watch a George Foreman highlight film, half his knockouts are on body shots, the big punchers like Foreman and Tyson get alot of knockouts to the body. How is it any less valid anyway if Tyson knocked Spinx down on a body shot rather than a head pucnh. Tyson also knocked out Steve Zouski with a combo to the body, thats one example I can think of off the top of my head.

That is bull****.....tell me names!!!! No good Heavyweight has ever been knocked out from a bodyshot!!! Anyone can knock a bum out with a bodyshot (even frank bruno)

i said HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTERS!!!!! tell me a good fighter that foreman knocked out with a body shot????

Bruno beat oliver Mcall for the heavyweight title.......lets put that into context!!! Have you seen that fight....cause i have (i bet you haven't) go and watch it and tell me why you think Bruno is a good fighter!!!! He was a bum.

And Larry Holmes fought for another 15 years, true but was well past his prime even when he fought tyson and its not like he won any significant fights aftet that (apart from ray mercer)!!!

So Oliver McCall is no good bum too just like Razor Ruddock and Holmes, he is a bumb but he knocked out Lennox Lewis, and would have likely dont it again if he did not have mental problems.

Sorry actually Steve Zouski was a really good fighter......i retract all my statements! ****in hell........

Bruno a good fighter!!! Please! he was a bum who should have quit boxing and stuck to beating his wife and thinking he's frankie dettori.

I have to ask who in your mind is not a bumb since to you Tyson is a bumb, Oliver McCall is bumb, Frank Bruno is a bumb, Razor Ruddock is a bumb, Holmes is a bumb. So you have to be undisputed champion and make 20 defences not to be a bumb in your mind. So the only non bumb who ever lived was Joe Louis.

He landed one punch against lewis and the fight was stopped prematurely (watch the hbo coverage). Who did he beat aside from lewis.......oh sorry larry holmes. Razor ruddock was knocked out by tommy morrison (for god's sake) and lennox lewis.

Bruno a good fighter!!! Please! he was a bum who should have quit boxing and stuck to beating his wife and thinking he's frankie dettori.
let me remind you guys that frank bruno was giving lennox lewis a hard time for 7 rounds, two of the judges had it a draw and the other had bruno up, the guy had skills, he just had a bad chin, and folded quickly under pressure, but he was no bum

I never said Tyson was a bum, read the threads...... Tyson is an all time great. I am just saying he possibly fullfilled his potential. It is well established that aside from now the 80s heavyweights were the wrost ever. I never said Larry holmes was a bum!. He was well past his prime when he fought spinks the first time let alone tyson......

The reason that there were so many title holders in that era is because they were all equally bad and tyson ultimately beat them because he was at a different level to all of them.

yeah he did have LL in trouble in the 7th, but that was a one off! bruno never fought like that before or after that fight and anyway he still lost!

To be fair Bruno did give lewis a good go.......but he was not world class. This is a man that beat his wife for god's sake, there is nothing good to say about him........actually he was good at pantomime

oh he can play the dame very well!

Sanders was (is?) ,indeed, a LOT better than most people give him credit for.
Infact, as a Wladimir Klitschko fan posting in the **********.com forums at the time, I got a lot of heat for indicating that I was worried about Universum's choice of Sanders as Wlad's opponent back in 2003. The other regulars there were distainful of my concern & insisted that Sanders was a bum.
Well, we all saw what happened there! :rolleyes:

I'll always consider Universum's choice of Sanders as Wlad's opponent for that night one of the all time biggest blunders in boxing history.
Wlad was coming off of the biggest win of his career in a onesided fight in which he KO'd a highly regarded opponent to become the universal #1 heavyweight contender. He pretty much had the boxing world at his feet.
The Sanders fight was simply a "showcase" fight meant to keep Wlad busy while awaiting the inevitable showdown with Lennox Lewis for the World Title. They could have pretty much chosen anyone & HBO would have shown it & the live gate in Germany would have sold out.
I forget exactly who the other names were that were considered, but one fighter in particular ( Kirk Johnson? ) was close to signing, but wanted more money & Universum balked. So, they went with Sanders instead.
In a "brilliant" move, they saved a few bucks on a guy that Wlad would have KO'd inside of a couple of rounds & brought in a FAR more dangerous opponent in Corrie Sanders. A big, skilled, experienced, power punching southpaw with very quick hands. The very sort of fighter that competent promoters & managers avoid putting their charges in with unless there's ABSOLUTELY no choice.
Yet, Universum brought him in as a "tune up" opponent! :eek:

**** off raymo......who asked you?

I never said Tyson was a bum, read the threads...... Tyson is an all time great. I am just saying he possibly fullfilled his potential. It is well established that aside from now the 80s heavyweights were the wrost ever. I never said Larry holmes was a bum!. He was well past his prime when he fought spinks the first time let alone tyson......

The reason that there were so many title holders in that era is because they were all equally bad and tyson ultimately beat them because he was at a different level to all of them.

Alright fine but Frank Bruno, Razor Ruddock, Bruce Seldon, middle aged lary holmes, Michael Spinks, Alex Stewart, Henry Tillman, Trevor Berbick, Pinklon Thomas Tyrell Briggs, Toney Tubbs, Bonecrusher Smith, Tucker, are not bumbs, they are not Rocky Marciano but they are at least as good as Today's alphabet champions.

Alright fine but Frank Bruno, Razor Ruddock, Bruce Seldon, middle aged lary holmes, Michael Spinks, Alex Stewart, Henry Tillman, Trevor Berbick, Pinklon Thomas Tyrell Briggs, Toney Tubbs, Bonecrusher Smith, are not bumbs, they are not Rocky Marciano but they are at least as good as Today's alphabet champions.


exactly......!!!! and don't get me strated on marciano!!!!

free speach my friend

I personally think that Ike Ibeabuchi was more of a waste

I personally think that Ike Ibeabuchi was more of a waste


Agreed. Better skills and more well-rounded.

wladimir klitchko and and riddick bowe are the 2 that come to mind as the greatest potential........wlad was suppose to be the better of the brothers and bowe was suppose to be a heavyweight great but he lacked the motivation


Well, dont count Wlad out yet. I dont think his potential will be wasted. In fact he has already acheived champion status. Someone who wastes their potential is someone who does not have the desire to achieve all that they can. Indeed, Wlad does want to be champion again, so there is no way you could say his potential is wasted.

As far as Sanders goes, he also, has not wasted his potential. His record is full of KO victories, and he also achieved championship status by taking the belt from the afore mentioned Klitschko.

Sanders will retire, as he should. He is a business man, after all. And Wlad will go on to become champion again, and the recent losses will only serve to make him a wiser champion.

My two cents, anyway.

Corrie Sanders had great potential just considering his handspeed and power, but I would vote Max Baer as the all time biggest waste of physical potential. The guy had it all, and I mean everything. Power, reach, incredible strength, athleticism, an iron chin, and loads of stamina. In terms of raw ability and physicality, I think Baer beats out even the greats.

What was missing? One of the key components of a boxer's makeup: a fighter's brain. Baer was an entertainer at heart. The guy wanted to make people laugh, and to be loved by everyone. He didn't like to fight really. He was just so damn good at boxing that he went on doing it for the money, and especially the fame. If you could go back in time and somehow transplant Rocky Marciano or Jack Dempsey or Muhammad Ali's brain into Baer's body you would have the greatest heavyweight of all time.

But that's a big friggin if.

we got ourselves a ahter or a rahman nut hugger here

Not at all, I like them both about the same, but Sanders was not that good. I also think Vitali ko's The Rock in about 4 rounds!

Having great petential is one thing, using it is the other. Yeah, he had potential but there is so much more that goes into the equation of being a great fighter. Being able to motivate your self for training and such would be the first thing that is needed. Stepping into the ring unprepared is the worst thing that a fighter can do to himself...........Rockin' :boxing:


....Yeah, but he was a scary heavy for anyone who got in the ring with him and could end it with one shot like no other, and the guy was never in any kind of shape. It's kind of like thinking about Babe Ruth and taking into consideration that the guy ate and drank in the dugout, sometimes played on zero sleep after partying like a rock star, and then vaulted dead balls out of the park like nobody else. A naturally gifted individual is something to behold and Sanders has a god given talent that is something to admire indeed.